David Buchanan (1823 – 4 April 1890) was a barrister and politician in colonial

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

and later, the New South Wales Legislative Council. Buchanan was born in

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Mid-Lothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh ...

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, the fifth son of William Buchanan, a barrister, and his wife Catherine, ''née'' Gregory. Buchanan was educated at the

Edinburgh High School The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...

. Buchanan emigrated to Australia in 1852, and was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as member for

Morpeth Morpeth may refer to: *Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia ** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales * Morpeth, Ontario, Canada * Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK ** Morpeth (UK ...

on 14 December 1860. In 1862 he unsuccessfully sued

the Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

for libel and was required to pay their legal costs. He was drunk in August 1862 and was involved in an altercation with Samuel Terry. In the assembly Buchanan described Terry as a coward, eventually withdrawing the remark. Buchanan continued to interrupt and held to be in contempt of parliament. He refused to leave the chamber, was arrested by the Sergeant-at-arms and forcibly removed. He was unable to pay the legal costs of his failed libel suit and declared himself bankrupt and resigned from parliament. He re-contested the seat at the resulting by-election but was defeated. He was returned to the Legislative Assembly as a representative of East Macquarie at a by-election in October 1864, serving until 1 August 1867. He resigned in 1867 and went to England, entering at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

in November of that year, being called to the bar in June 1869. He then returned to New South Wales, and practised his profession, being elected to the Legislative Assembly for East Sydney (3 December 1869 to 3 February 1872), and for Goldfields West (25 March 1872 to 12 October 1877). Though defeated at 1879 Mudgee by-election, the election was overturned by the Committee of Elections and Qualifications and Buchanan was declared duly elected in March 1879, a seat he held until 7 October 1885. Buchanan represented Central Cumberland from 15 May 1888 to 19 January 1889. As a politician Buchanan gained prominence by his sturdy championship of fiscal protection. He revisited England in 1886, and published a selection from his orations and speeches. Having unsuccessfully contested Balmain at the general election in January 1889, he was nominated to the Legislative Council on 27 February 1889, a position he held until his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, David 1832 births 1890 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Politicians from Edinburgh Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Australian politicians